As Yvonne drove down the length of highway back towards the city, her phone rang through the Bluetooth in her car. Seeing the number on her dashboard, she pressed the answer key.

“Mackenzie Thomas, to what do I owe the pleasure of a phone call on Christmas Eve?”

“Come out with us!”

“What? I thought you were getting engaged tonight or something.”

“Kyle is here with me and we’re going to go ice skating at the park across from work. Come join us, it’s going to be amazing!”

Yvonne laughed.

“Have you been drinking, by any chance?”

“Of course I’ve been drinking. It’s Christmas Eve! Just please come meet us? Are you still out in the boondocks with your family?”

“I’m about thirty minutes from the city. Also, it’s super late—how is that place even open?”

“When else is an ice skating rink going to be open? Just come. Say you’ll come. I’m not going to stop asking until you say yes!”

It seemed strange that her friend was being so pressing, but Yvonne realized in that moment that she could use some friend time. While her family was wonderful, Mackenzie was a family member that she had selected herself. The thought of a fun ice skating adventure was appealing, even if she was still feeling wiped out from staying up so late the night before.

“Fine, I’ll see you in thirty minutes,” she said, and Mackenzie cheered.

“Best friends for life! See you soon!”

“See you soon,” Yvonne echoed, ending the call.

Her Christmas music came back on, and Yvonne sang cheerfully, enjoying the ability to see so many people she loved in one day. Of course, what she should have been doing was preparing her apartment for the magical Christmas dinner she was planning to have for Zadid, but there would be plenty of time for that. She already had all the ingredients she needed—all she had to do was decorate and cook.

Beyond that, she needed a distraction from the fact that she would be hosting him, in her apartment, alone. It sounded terribly romantic already, and the last thing she needed was to get her hopes up. Yvonne was a sensible woman, but when it came to Zadid, her heart wouldn’t seem to let her brain get a word in edgewise.

She wound her way through empty city streets, everyone home and waiting for the arrival of good old Saint Nick. The parking garage by the office was a graveyard, with only two cars in the lot.

Yvonne couldn’t help but notice that one of them happened to belong to Zadid.

Her mind raced as she considered heading upstairs to check on him. Was he seriously working at the office alone on Christmas Eve? Her phone buzzed then, with a text from Mackenzie asking where she was, and she sighed, resolving to leave him to do whatever he was doing.

Zadid was a grown man who could take care of himself. He didn’t need her barging in, checking on him like they were dating. Their relationship in no way called for that kind of behavior, much to her chagrin. She sent a quick text back to Mackenzie letting her know that she had parked and was walking over.

She stepped out into the street and walked across it, a large ice skating rink glowing in front of her beneath several large lampposts. In the center of the rink, Mackenzie and Kyle were skating together, twirling and laughing as they fell over. Yvonne waved as Mackenzie caught her eye, her friend’s mouth widening in an even bigger smile.

“Yvonne! You came!”

She planted a quick kiss on Kyle’s cheek before she shot up and skated over as fast as her feet could take her. When she got there, she pulled off her glove, revealing a very sparkly engagement ring.

“He did it! He proposed!”

Yvonne held her friend’s hand as she admired the beautiful new piece of jewelry. Kyle skated up to them, looking bashful as he gazed lovingly at his new fiancée.

“Congratulations, and well done!” Yvonne said, holding up Mackenzie’s hand as she smiled at Kyle.

“Thanks,” he replied, sounding pleased. “I’m a lucky guy.”

“That you are. You’ve got one of the best women in the world here. Don’t you ever let her go.”

“I don’t plan to,” he said, taking Mackenzie’s hand and kissing the back of it.

She stared up at him with sheer adoration before she looked back to Yvonne.

“Come skating with us! The rental office is still open; you can get a pair. Oh, and if you look over there, they’ve been blowing out a bunch of fake snow for a snowman-building contest in the morning. People are already making some, though.”

Yvonne thought about spending Christmas Eve as the third wheel to a happily newly-engaged couple. The idea was less than appealing, but when she saw the look in her friend’s eye, she knew she couldn’t deny her any extra happiness.

“I’ll go grab a pair of skates,” she said.

“Great! We’ll be here!”

Yvonne walked around the rink until she entered the small skate rental office. A teenage boy in a wrinkled uniform sat behind the desk, looking down at his phone. When he heard the door open, he looked up, hiding the device beneath the desk.

“Hello. Size?”

Yvonne told him her size, and he placed a pair of white ice skates on the desk, taking her cash before glancing back down beneath the counter, now just barely bothering to hide his distraction. A red-haired man with a full beard was busy lacing his own skates up at the only bench, and Yvonne sat beside him.

“Fine night for a skate,” the man commented.

Yvonne glanced over at him. His blue eyes were bright as he looked at her, and she nodded.

“I suppose Christmas Eve is as good as any other.”

“Are you here alone?” he asked. He sounded concerned, and Yvonne shook her head.

“My friend just got engaged. She invited me out to celebrate.”

His brows furrowed, then, and she wondered at his expression.

“My best friend just got engaged, and he invited me out to celebrate with them.”

She lifted an eyebrow.

“Kyle and Mackenzie?”

He nodded, realization dawning in his eyes.

“They never fail to try and set up their single friends, do they?”

Yvonne released a breath, shaking her head.

“No, apparently they do not.”

“I’m Shane,” he said, holding out a hand for her to shake. “And I have no intention of trying to find romance tonight, if that takes the pressure off.”

She chuckled, placing her hand in his.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Shane. I’m Yvonne.”

“Ah, the famous Yvonne Hunt. I’ve heard tell of your charms, of course.”

Yvonne didn’t have the heart to tell him that she hadn’t had the same pleasure. Mackenzie had never once brought up his name. Before she could come up with a white lie, the door opened again with a jingle and the kid behind the counter looked up.

“Can I help you, sir?”

“I’m good, thanks. I just wanted to chat with my friend.”

Yvonne’s skin tingled at the sound of that voice. Looking up, she saw Zadid standing there watching her, his eyes darting from her new friend to her and back.

“Zadid! What brings you out tonight? Is this the lonely hearts club skating party or what?”

“Given that Mackenzie is making out with her fiancé on the ice right now, I suppose not. I happened to see you all from my window upstairs and came down to offer my congratulations.”

Seeing that there was something beneath the surface, Shane nodded to Yvonne and stood, walking carefully out on his skates.

“It was nice to meet you. I’ll be out celebrating the happy couple.”

“Sounds good. Nice to meet you too, Shane.”

He nodded to her and to Zadid before walking out. Yvonne still sat with her shoes half-on, staring up at Zadid.

“Are you really going skating?” he asked.

She looked down at her rented skates, wondering just the same thing. She glanced back up at him.

“Did you have something better in mind? Perhaps you could join us.”

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea…it’s not something I’ve ever done before.”

She thought for a moment. Not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable, her mind drifted toward the snowman competition.

“I’ve got a better idea. Come on,” she said, plopping her skates back on the desk.

The kid looked up, confused.

“I’m not allowed to give refunds on these…” he said.

“No worries,” Yvonne replied. “Have a great holiday.”

“You, too,” he mumbled.

Yvonne opened the door and gestured outside for Zadid to follow. His eyes were filled with suspicion as he walked past her.

“What exactly do you have in mind, Yvonne? I’m not a big fan of surprises…at least when they happen to me.”

“Relax. It’s nothing that involves you standing on a pair of blades over a slippery surface. This should be enough for Christmas Eve.”

She waved at Mackenzie, who was talking to Shane as she looked over. Yvonne nearly laughed at the obviousness of her friend’s frustration regarding her thwarted matchmaking efforts. She turned away, arriving at a massive pile of manmade snow.

“Snowman Making 101,” she announced to Zadid, gesturing at the pile.

He stared at it, finally turning to look at her with a small grin.

“If I’m being honest, this is something I’ve always wanted to do.”

“I told you I’d give you an amazing Christmas experience—we just get to start a little early. The rest will come tomorrow night.”

Her voice was so filled with deeper meaning that she blushed, grateful that the cold air already had her cheeks feeling rosy. Zadid didn’t seem to notice any innuendo, instead opening the gate and folding a ball of snow into his gloved hands. He turned back to look at her expectantly.

“Well? Shall we?”

“Always straight to work, aren’t you?”

“I thought we were having fun,” he said, confused.

Yvonne laughed.

“Yes, but even when we’re having fun, you manage to structure it out. Just let it be,” she said, taking the snowball from him. “For instance…”

She didn’t finish, launching the snowball at him and catching him completely by surprise.

“This is called a snowball fight,” she said, quickly making another one. “Get ready to lose your first round!”

Zadid grinned wickedly as he made a new ball of his own, tossing it in her direction. It landed cleanly on her shoulder, and they both laughed.

“I appear to be a natural winner at this game. Now, keep your snowballs to yourself while I build the perfect snowman.”

He began packing and piling snow up until it resembled a large blob. Poking his fingers into the top to make a face, he stood back next to Yvonne to admire his handiwork.

“Not bad for a first try,” Yvonne said, amused.

It looked nothing like the snowmen of her youth, but she didn’t want to burst his bubble. Zadid was clearly quite proud of the achievement.

“I’d say it’s exceptional,” he replied, a teasing glint in his eye as he met her gaze once more.

They stared at each other in the shining light, a loaded silence passing between them.

“I should get going. I have a few more things to get done before tomorrow,” he said.

Yvonne felt a rush of disappointment, but hid it from him. She was the master of doing that—hiding her feelings from the handsome Sheikh.

“Do you need any help?” she asked.

She was beyond tired, but the thought of more time with Zadid was always appealing. He shook his head.

“I don’t. Besides, it’s getting late, and I’m assuming you have quite a bit of work to do tomorrow before we have our party.”

She grinned up at him.

“You assume correctly. It’s going to be great, and I’m glad I got to show you a little extra here, tonight, too.”

“Me, too,” he said, another pause spreading between them.

Yvonne wished she had the courage to say how she really felt. Instead, she opened the gate, the two of them walking past the lovebirds on the ice, waving farewell.

“You sure you don’t want to hang for even a little bit longer?” Mackenzie asked Yvonne, staring pointedly at Shane.

“I’m good, actually. Congrats again, you guys, and merry Christmas!”

Zadid walked her to her car before waving farewell and heading back inside the office. Yvonne watched his departing back until he was gone before turning on her car and heading home.

There was so much not being said between them. Yvonne just wished she knew what it was!